Almost 700 teachers apply for Summer Bridge

Hundreds of teachers have applied to teach in PinellasCounty’s new SummerBridge program. As of late last week, 696 teachers had applied.

Teachers will be paid their regular rate of pay, minus the amount they receive from the referendum. If you recall, superintendent Mike Grego wanted to pay teachers a flat rate, but the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association pushed back and won that fight.

SummerBridge is a six-week voluntary summer program for students who are struggling academically. Grego announced it in February, with a goal of reducing summer learning losses. Registration still is going on. (High school students will be placed based on performance on end-of-course exams, so they need to have those test scores back first.)

For teachers, many of whom work second jobs during the summer, the program is an opportunity to teach. There typically are about 300 jobs open during the summer. The district, depending on student enrollment, predicted that this summer there would be about 1,250. (Likely that number will go down. Enrollment was hovering around 2,000, far less than hoped for.)

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.